Ruan Zhe and Fu Yinli immediately crouched down.
The old man laughed loudly, his voice booming. “Stop hiding! We’ve been neighbors for a few days now, and you still haven’t come over to pay a visit?”
The other side had firearms. And he didn’t sound hostile. If he had wanted to kill them, he would have done it already.
Besides, it was obvious that these people had started the trouble first—the old man had only fought back.
What they couldn’t understand was how an elderly man could have ended up winning so decisively.
The two of them stopped hesitating and walked out from behind the trees, following the path down.
Only when they got closer did they see it clearly: one man was dead beside the vegetable patch. Another man near the forest edge was groaning, his leg caught in some kind of trap, blood soaking his chest.
Behind the wooden house, a woman lay in a deep pit, bleeding heavily—her life uncertain.
The man in front of the house had clearly tried to rush in, but both of his legs had been shot. He could no longer move.
Seeing this made the two of them break out in cold sweat. Thankfully, they had never harbored any ill intentions. The old man not only had a gun, but had also set traps and animal snares.
“Uncle San,” the injured man in front of the house trembled. “I was wrong… I shouldn’t have come. Please let me go… I’m your nephew! We really couldn’t survive anymore, that’s why we came here…”
“Ah!” the man suddenly screamed in pain.
The old man didn’t respond. He kicked the man on the ground hard, but lost his balance himself and fell down as well. He called out to Ruan Zhe and the others.
He was injured too. At his age, even a fall was serious—let alone a deep, bloodied wound across his back.
These attackers had come with real intent to kill, but they hadn’t expected the old man to be one step ahead, fully prepared.
“Come over,” the old man said. “I won’t kill you. I can’t anymore either.”
He sat in a chair, his voice weaker now. “From the first day you entered the forest, I knew.”
“You…?” Ruan Zhe had never seen such a bloody scene before and felt sick, but she forced herself to hold it back.
“I watched you wandering around the forest for days without disturbing us. You’re sensible,” the old man said.
So he had already noticed them.
Fu Yinli said, “Let us treat your injuries.”
The old man refused. “No need. I and my old woman are destined to die in this mountain. But you two are still young… you shouldn’t die here.”
The two of them didn’t fully understand, but cautiously stepped closer.
Only then did they see clearly—the old woman was in very poor condition, lying on a bed inside, breathing weakly.
“What do you want us to do?” Ruan Zhe couldn’t bear it and still asked.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have called them here. If they truly posed no threat, he could have ignored them completely.
The old man pulled a letter from his chest and handed it to her.
“It’s shameless of me, asking strangers for help,” he said. “But I want you to deliver this letter to my daughter. Her name is Zhao Xiaohe. She’s in the military… though it may no longer matter. But if you ever meet her…”
“Please tell her—we are proud of her. We always think of her.”
Hearing this, Ruan Zhe took the letter, deeply moved.
Their daughter was serving the country. In an apocalypse like this, she must be someone who would stand firm without hesitation.
“We will try our best to deliver it,” she said.
The future was uncertain in such a world, but at this moment, she simply wanted to give the old couple some hope.
“It’s not a free request,” the old man added. “Everything in my house—cured meat, dried mushrooms, dried bamboo shoots, pine nuts, guns, crossbows, firewood… take it all.”
“But…”
“Leave a little. The rest you can take. We can’t use it anymore.”
His breathing grew heavier. “Don’t hesitate. You still have a long road ahead. Being so soft-hearted will get you killed.”
His gaze shifted to Fu Yinli. “A man needs responsibility. And you’ve got a good wife—treat her well.”
It was as if he was looking at his younger self.
From inside, the old woman suddenly cried out. The old man rushed in.
She grabbed his hand tightly with surprising strength. Blood poured from her wound.
“Wait for me… wait for me…” she whispered.
The two elderly hands held each other. Ruan Zhe turned her gaze away.
“Move everything out! Don’t worry about the ones outside—they won’t survive anyway!” the old man shouted.
He took off his gun and threw it to Fu Yinli, then rummaged inside the house, tossing out many items before slamming the door shut.
“Take the chickens too!”
“Let’s move,” Fu Yinli said, slinging the gun onto his back.
They could no longer hesitate. Even though it felt heavy in their hearts, this was not the time for pride or refusal.
They spent half a day moving everything out of the wooden house.
Cured meat, dried rabbit, dried deer, dried mushrooms, bamboo shoots, daylily, bracken, pine nuts, dried wild fruits, dried radish, dried cabbage, potatoes, cured wild boar meat, smoked fish, honey, medicinal herbs, rice, corn, flour, guns, crossbows, bullets, arrows, and animal traps.
Ruan Zhe immediately stored the firewood into the farm space. Thankfully, even the chickens could be taken in.
They left behind instant noodles, compressed biscuits, bottled water, and medicine in front of the bedroom.
They didn’t know if it would help, but after doing all this, they left.
Outside the yard, the dead man and the three half-dead ones were still in the rain, pinned by heavy traps, unable to move.
They were bleeding continuously. In this weather, they would die from blood loss and hypothermia.
The two of them had no intention of saving people who had tried to rob and kill the elderly couple. They didn’t even look back and returned to the RV.
It was morning now, but the sky was still dark and heavy with clouds. After thinking it over, they decided to slowly drive down the mountain.
Their position here had been exposed.
As expected, this road was the only route up and down the mountain, so those attackers would inevitably pass near the RV.
Rumble—
Thunder rolled as the entire sky seemed to collapse over the mountain peak. Rain slammed into leaves, bursting into white mist. Tree trunks bent under the storm, and the valley howled.
Mud-colored floodwater surged down the mountain, carrying broken branches and stones, drowning out even the thunder.
Fog churned violently under the rain, visibility reduced to less than five steps. The earth trembled as the soil began to slide.
The RV made its way down the mountain at the last possible moment. The ground was too slippery, and behind them came a roaring flood.
The RV lost control completely and slammed toward a giant tree.
A massive impact struck.